English Ivy Bow-Drill Kit

This mornings experiment: English Ivy Bow-drill with old growth ivy. Bow: English Ivy. Hand hold: English Ivy. Spindle: English Ivy. Fire board: English Ivy. Tinder: English Ivy bark. String: Brain-tanned buckskin. I tried to make a good cord from English Ivy roots using them in a withy-style but they were too dried out from yesterday already, plus I broke them in a couple places when I pulled them. Next time I’ll be more careful and make the cord when it is still super fresh. Didn’t realize how fast it would get brittle. I used my steel Morakniv to flatten the two round sides of the fireboard, smooth out the spindle and carve the notch. Ivy wood is very soft and I could have easily done most of this with a basalt flake tool. Next time I’ll give that a shot too. The two coals popped out of the notch within 15 seconds of drilling. There was barely any powder at all. I put it in the ivy bark tinder bundle and it smoked and smoked and burned hot but would not flame up. The smoke smelled horrible in my opinion and I’ve got a tiny bit of a headache from inhaling just a small amount. As soon as I could smell it I avoided breathing in anymore. Ivy wood is amazing for hand-drill fire boards, and bow-drill spindles. This is my first time making a complete ivy set though. Not sure if I’ll try the tinder ever again.